WHAT? ALERT: Julian Fellowes Says Americans Can’t Do Period Drama!

OH NO HE DID NOT! Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, which Benedict Cumberbatch doesn’t even like the second season of by the way, has really done it this time. Nah-uh, dude. Just nah-uh, not this time. Get outta town with this. He’s taken to the Telegraph to insult Americans in the area we hold most dear — OUR PERIOD DRAMAS. From The Telegraph:

Julian Fellowes said Britain excels at period adaptations because British actors are able to make them seem “real”. Despite his reservations, the forthcoming series of Downton Abbey features an American, Dame Shirley MacLaine, in a major role as the Countess of Grantham’s mother.

“I think our actors have a kind of understanding of period. For Europeans, the past is in them as well as the present and I think they are at ease in that genre in a way that the Americans find harder,” Fellowes said.

“I think Americans are wonderful film actors – the best in the world – but they are a very contemporary race and they look forward all the time. There is something about period drama where they tend to go into a strange place called ‘Period’ where people wear funny clothes.

They look forward all the time? Uh, TRY TELLING THAT TO ALF, JULIAN FELLOWES! Please. If you’re going to insult us, at least do your research. Along with Alf, I’m sure the US has made billions of wonderful period dramas. Like Mad Men. And how Breaking Bad is set a few years in the past. And others? What kind of period dramas has America made that are good? Australia? Is that one? What is a period drama? Maybe Julian Fellowes is right. Does Wild Wild West count as a period drama? What about Moulin Rouge? The problem might lie with me, here, I’m willing to admit that. Men In Black 2 definitely counts though, right? Please let me know. Right now all I know for sure is that JULIAN FELLOWES IS A JERK AND I THINK BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WILL BACK ME UP ON THAT!

Well, to be fair, British actors do have a better understanding of period drama acting because the key to a good period drama, no matter what country or ancient civilization it’s set in, is that everyone sounds British.

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